Opposites Attract
by fflight
Summary: A daughter of Hades, especially a Hunter of Artemis, was never expected to fall in love with a god. But Bryn Reedwing has fallen for one particular sun god... Slightly OOC, rated T for swearing and a little sexual content. OC/Apollo
1. IntroNarrated by the main character

I was never that funny, pretty, caring, or friendly. You wouldn't expect anything else from a daughter of Hades, I suppose that's why I joined the Hunters of Artemis. There, I could be who I loved being- a mean, cold, angry killing machine. You could say that I wasn't the nicest person on earth. I threw away my old life, the one that lived in the allies of New York City, avoiding monsters, gangsters, thugs, and practicing my own fighting moves, training myself to be cold and heartless. I took after my father, with my long, slightly curly dark, dark hair, pale skin, and a skinny build. The only physical difference we had was the bright, unnatural green eyes that I had that at least at first scared the hell out of most people.

Then I had just joined the Hunters of Artemis five years ago, I made fast friends with Thalia, daughter of Zeus and lieutenant to Lady Artemis, and Lily, daughter of Nyx and whose real name was Sierra. I had learned the new customs and ways of a Hunter, and I had grown to live by them and believe them, like Thalia and Lily had. Like the other Hunters, I loved our Lady Artemis and would do anything for her. Like the other Hunters, I had sworn an oath against all men. And, like the other Hunters, I hated almost all men, especially Artemis' annoying, flirtatious brother, Phoebus Apollo. Or just Apollo, as most people knew him.


	2. Hello, Brother

BPOV

~Three Years Ago~

I was practicing my archery with Lily when there was a sudden flash of bright light, and I whipped around to see a man with messy blond hair, green eyes, and a godly build, appear in the middle of our camp, leaning casually against a towering oak. He was wearing a pair of tight black jeans, a body hugging white shirt and a black leather jacket. He looked, though I would later hate myself for thinking so, unbearably sexy.

I looked at Lily beside me, and asked, "Who is that?" for obviously he couldn't be a normal man but a god.  
She opened her mouth to answer me but it was Artemis who satisfied my curiosity. "Hello, brother," she sighed, sounding tired. That was when I knew he was none other than the infamous (or, at least, infamous among us Hunters) Apollo, the sun god.

He smiled and replied brightly, "Hello, sister! Long time no see!" Said sister rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to introduce him to us, or me really, when Apollo beat her to it. "Hello, ladies! You must know that I am Apollo the sun god because I have already introduced myself to you all two years before and all the other two years after that, but for the sake of my old-fashioned sister I am introducing myself again." He grinned at all of us, and some of the girls swooned under his stunning green gaze while Artemis glared at them, and the others scowled at him. Thalia, Lily and I were part of those that had scowled at him.

"Apollo! Don't call me old-fashioned because frankly, you claim you're older than I am!" That was, undoubtedly, Artemis.

"Aw, baby sis! It's not my fault I'm so much more advanced in the modern world than you are!" Apollo pouted. He looked around at us all, and his gaze fell upon me, clutching my silver bow and Stygian iron dagger. "Ah, a new one, is it? Pretty, too," he added, with a wink. Artemis frowned at her older brother.

"Apollo, do not talk about my Hunters like they are objects, because they are not," she told him sharply, but then sighed in resignation. "But yes, she has just joined two years ago, one month after your last biannual visit. Her name is Bryn." I nodded curtly at him, then looked away. Gods, he really was like a baby, with his pouting and childish acts. It was hard to believe he was actually a god.

Apollo walked towards me, and I could feel his eyes on me, and he didn't move them away until he was right in front of me. He, using a finger, lifted my chin up so his eyes were boring into mine of the same color. "Brandlyn Reedwing, daughter of Hades. I'm surprised you decided to join, with that face beautiful enough to make a daughter of Aphrodite jealous," he winked again. Behind me, I felt Lily tense.

I narrowed my eyes. "DON'T call me Brandlyn," I half hissed, half growled. "And for the record, I can join whatever group I want." I shoved his hand away roughly. Apollo looked taken aback, and I had to suppress a grin at the look on his face. Not many people talked to him like that, I knew, because he was a god. I saw Thalia smirk and nod approvingly, while Lily held back a giggle.

Artemis herself, though she reprimanded me of it later, held back a smile. "Apollo, please do not bother my Hunters any more and return to Mount Olympus. If you really wanted to say something to be you can say it when I return." Artemis' pale yellow, luminous gaze stared into his, narrowed into slits.

"Oh come on, sis. I was just having some fun. My kind of fun," he felt the need to add, turning around and waggling his eyebrows at me. I turned my head away and gripped my bow tighter.

"Apollo!"

"Whatever, baby sis. See ya!" Apollo grinned, then disappeared again in a flash.

Artemis sighed, then disappeared into her own tent, calling over her shoulder, "Return to your duties!" Thalia and I exchanged a glance before I turned back to my archery practice.

"Damn, I never knew he was that bad," I rolled my eyes at Lily as I released the bowstring and watched the arrow hit the center of the tree. "And all of you have to go through that when you first become a Hunter?"

Lily looked at me, her eyes a little clouded. "Actually, I've never seen him act like that to any of us but you. I mean, more than he usually does." She also hit the center. I frowned, my spirits dropping lower than they usually were. What was about me that Apollo didn't like or liked? Personally, I would rather him NOT like ANY part of me. My arrow hit about an inch off the center of the hawthorn I was aiming at.

**Okay, I know, it's not that long either, but I'll improve, okay? Yeah, it's like 850 words, but I'm sorry, okay? I couldn't come up with much... sorry. **

**Sorry if it sucks. It's my first fanfic. So lay off me. If you think it sucks, tell me. And tell me why, too, otherwise there's no point in you telling me that it sucks. Because it really pisses me off when people insult me and my work then don't tell me why. **


	3. Losing Bets

~The Present (or 3 years after the last chapter)~

It was five years after I had first become a Hunter. I'll admit it- I really like life here. I was supposedly twenty years old now, but because I was fifteen when I was made a Hunter I still looked the same and felt the same as when I was that age. Thalia, Lily, another Hunter named Erin and I were discussing battle techniques for a hydra while the snow fell heavily around us. We had celebrated Christmas five days ago, and the camp was still a little littered with plates, scraps, and a little blood because unfortunately the Furies decided to invade our camp in the middle of our party.

Thankfully, though, with exactly twenty-three Hunters of Artemis and the goddess of the hunt, we killed two and chased the last one away with relative ease. And, while we were talking, laughing (not me), eating, practicing and generally enjoying ourselves, we were, least to say, surprised when a certain sun god had to appear and kill our fun.

Apollo appeared, like he always did, in a flash of light as golden as his hair, smiling and looking like a male model. Artemis appeared also, this time in a flash of silver light, with an annoyed look on her face.

"What are you doing here, brother?" she demanded. "Your time with us is in another six months." She was, of course, speaking of the biannual visit of Apollo.

"I'm here to claim something," he grinned at his sister. Artemis just looked more irritated, as did the rest of us.

"You don't have the right to anything I have, or anything my Hunters have."

"Oh, but I do," replied Apollo, his smile broader and wider now.

"And what would that be, dear brother?" Artemis asked dryly. Her brother didn't answer, but instead looked around at us, his gaze lingering on mine for a heartbeat longer.

"Do you remember when, a month ago, Artemis left for Olympus?" He didn't wait for our answer before continuing. "She was attending a chess competition between Athena and Metis, Athena's mother. I instantly bet on Athena, of course, her being the goddess of wisdom. Artemis thought that the mother of the goddess should win. Not very smart of her, might I add," Apollo added, earning himself a glare from Artemis. "I, of course, having bet on Athena, who won, won the bet, and Artemis, my poor baby sister, lost. So, what I wanted from winning the bet was to be discovered in a month from that day which, incidentally, is today." The sun god finished his explanation and looked, needless to say, proud of himself.

I shook my head wondering for once why Artemis had been so blind and had taken the bet. Of course the goddess of wisdom would win. I stole a glance at her, and she looked more than a little annoyed. I heard her mutter something about having too much of Dionysus' wine and how she and Apollo were twins, so he was not much older than her at all.

"Well, tell us just what would you want from me already." Artemis had never been impatient before. I supposed it was because she was a little embarrassed that she had lost a bet against her childish brother.

Apollo smirked at her, a mischievous, evil smirk, and I began to think the worst. Did he want to be the leader of the Hunters? Did he want to be a Hunter? Did he want to live with us for a month? Did he—

"I will spend twenty-four hours, half of tomorrow and half of the day after that, with one of your Hunters." Oh, no. Silence reigned throughout the camp. Horror-filled silence. I even heard a bow clatter to the ground.

"No. No, absolutely not." Artemis' words were firm, and her face was hard. "You will NOT take advantage of my Hunters like that."

"Sister, you have already promised me whatever I would like besides your bow, your dignity, and your place as a goddess. And if I remember correctly, this request has nothing to do with your restrictions." Apollo looked positively smug. Stupid bastard. My face, though I hate to say it, fell a little as I heard his words. Did Artemis say nothing about us in her restrictions to the bet? Did she not care about us at all?

"Apollo, this damages my dignity as the leader of the Hunters of Artemis, letting them be taken advantage of like that-"

"You could say anything damaged your dignity, Artemis. No, this is a completely valid request. One of your Hunters is mine to take for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day."

Okay. When he said it like that, it sounded like he was going to violate us or something, and frankly, it scared me. Lily and Thalia seemed to have the same thoughts as they exchanged disgusted glances.

Artemis glared at him for a full minute longer before she finally dropped her gaze and sighed, looking ashamed and miserable. "Fine. You can have one of my Hunters. Just... Don't do anything bad to them, okay?"

Apollo grinned. "Of course not, sister. So I have your word?" Silence. Artemis' face was in her hands, like she was frustrated with something. "I'll take that as a yes. All right then, any volunteers?" Apollo looked around. Nobody said anything. I swear I saw somebody shrink back. "Fine then, I suppose I'll have to choose someone myself."

He looked around, and his gaze fell on Thalia's. She looked away angrily. He kept searching until his eyes fell on mine. I glowered back at him, giving him my best death glare. Apollo started walking towards me, advancing slowly, until he looked straight down his nose at my face. "Bryn? Would you like to come?" I opened my mouth to tell him that no, I would rather spend the rest of my life trying to breathe underwater than go, but he leaned down and whispered in my ear. "Because if you don't, Thalia would have to come with me." I froze. I would never let Thalia go. She'd probably die, being with Apollo for twenty-four hours. Besides, I never back down from a challenge.

I sighed, but then looked him in the eye, standing as straight as I could so that we were almost on the same level, and said, "Fine. Fine, I'll spend twenty-four hours with you. I'll probably die of overexposure to sun rays or something, but I'll do it." I think Apollo laughed a bit louder than he should have when he heard me.

**Better? Maybe? 1109 words? I could do better, sorry. Maybe next time? **

**Look, just a warning- the romance won't start until like chapter 6, a little bit on chapter 4. So you'll have to be patient, okay?**

I'll tell you guys a secret- up till chapter 5, I have no idea what the 'Adventure' part of the story's going to be like. I'm kind of going with the flow right now, just winging it... but somehow I'll get to the end. Somehow. No idea how and when, but I'll get there. Eventually.

**Enjoy!**

***Apollo grins like a drunk pervert* "And review!"**

**Yeah. And review. **


	4. Meeting

"You didn't have to do it, you know. I would've been fine with it."

"Yeah, right, Thalia," I snorted disbelievingly. "You would've come back suicidal or something. Or you wouldn't have come back at all, and end up partying up with my Dad in the Underworld."

"I'm sure I would love it there." Sarcasm.

"Or, you know, you could have fallen for that flirty act Apollo has and..." Lily let her words drift off suggestively.

"That's just wrong on so many levels," Thalia grimaced, gagging at Lily's words. "But you still didn't have to, you know, agree to go."

"Thalia. If I didn't go, he would have made YOU go. Don't you know what that means?"

"No, actually, maybe I don't."

"Whatever, Thalia."

"If you don't want me to go so much, why did you agree anyway?" Thalia snapped.

I was about to retort something, before Apollo himself strolled up to us sunnily. "Talking about me, ladies? I knew I was irresistible."

Thalia and I glared at him, while Lily rolled her eyes. "So, what are you ladies up to?" Gods, I hated that bright smile on his stupid face. We ignored him.

"How are you all doing?" Persistent, are we? I tried. I really did. But I couldn't stop the biting words coming out of my mouth.

"Not that great, now that you're here." My friends stared at me in shock. I didn't blame them. Nobody talked to or insulted a god like that, even if he was one of the nicer ones. So I tensed, waiting for Apollo to, in his undoubtedly offended state, to zap me into oblivion. And waited. And waited. And he didn't zap me. Instead, laughed big, whopping, belly-shaking (not that he had much of belly to shake, it was really all just hard muscle... Why do I even know this?) laughs. I knew he was lenient, but not that lenient.

"Well, you're definitely a spirited one," he smirked. "I like a woman with fierceness in her." "Don't talk about me like I'm some kind of animal to breed," I snapped. Hey, it could have been a lot worse.

"I wish." More smirking.

"Excuse me while I go barf my guts out," Thalia pulled a face, speaking for the first time. "Preferably on him," I told her, and she snorted with laughter. Lily just rolled her eyes again. I began to get the feeling that she'd be doing that a lot.

"Anyway, Bryn, are you packed?" Apollo turned his green eyes of almost exactly the same color as mine to look straight at me.

I quickly stood up and turned around so he could only see my back. "No. I can take as much time as I like, because as I remember, we were spending New Year's Eve together, not New Year's Afternoon," I retorted. And no, I didn't turn around so that he couldn't see me blush. Definitely not. I was about to stalk back to my tent when a voice as beautiful and light as a moonbeam rang throughout the camp. "You already have twenty-four hours with her, so I don't think you have the right to harass her now, brother." Artemis.

I turned swiftly, my face returning to its original pale pallor. Thalia and Lily stood up rapidly, just as I turned. "Lady Artemis," we curtsied simultaneously.

"Lieutenant. Lily." Artemis nodded to both of them, who nodded back. "Bryn, come see me in my tent." Without another word, she turned and walked, elegant as ever, into her tent.

"Ooh, someone's in trouble..." Apollo grinned playfully at me. I gave him a severe look, and had the nerve to backhand him not so lightly on the shoulder. "Shut up." I returned Lily's grin of approval with a slight smile of my own, then hurried after Artemis. Behind me, I thought I heard a masculine "She's really something", undoubtedly from Apollo. I narrowed my eyes. What was he up to?

Artemis was sitting on her heels, with her slender hands resting gently on her knees. "Bryn. Have a seat, please." I didn't understand why she was sitting on the ground like that, if she had couches, tables, a rug, and even a little fire at the corner. Shrugging to myself, I sat in the same position about a meter and a half away. She smiled, a little sad. "Bryn, I must say how sorry I am about this."

"Oh, you mean Apollo, lady? Oh, no, it's not a problem. You know, better me then anyone else," I gave a little smile and little shrug of my shoulders.

Artemis studied me carefully. "When he asked, or should I say, _told _you to go with him, what did he say that made you go?" My mouth opened, then closed. Of course she'd be paying attention. What should I say? Should I tell her the truth and get Apollo in trouble? Or should I let Apollo owe me later?

I stared at her for a moment longer, trying not to look like I was thinking of what to say, then replied slowly, "He told me that he... wanted to take me... to the Apple center in Manhattan." Yeah, that sounded like him. A little. Artemis gazed straight at me for a moment later, looking like wanted to say more, but then seemed to decide against it.

She took her pale yellow eyes off my green eyes, but looked back again a moment later. "Bryn, you know that your father and I have never liked each other."

A little surprised, I nodded mutely.

"Well, I think that I shouldn't, and nobody should, judge you by the blood that runs in your veins. You are a great Hunter, and I see great promise in you." Artemis studied my expression carefully, evaluating my reaction.

"Th- thank you, my lady," I stuttered, not sure what to say.

"You have the destiny of a Hunter, Bryn. So... I suppose what I'm trying to say is that... if you ever... fall in love-" Artemis winced a little at the words- "Think about what I've just said, alright? Reconsider and rethink any decisions you make." I stared, shocked and dumbstruck. Was... was she suggesting... that I'd fall in love with _Apollo_?

"N- no! No, my lady... I would NEVER... never would I abandon the Hunters... or my friends... or you... not, you know, that you wouldn't be okay with my abandoning you... but just, you know..." I decided not to say anymore, just in case I had to suffer eternal humiliation and embarrassment from Apollo if he was listening in. Artemis just nodded. She understood, but she still had a look in her eyes... Like she knew something. Something that neither she nor I would like.

"I promise, Lady Artemis. I promise." Her lips curled upwards in a sad smile.

I curtsied again, then turned and hurried out the tent... and slammed into Apollo. For some reason, I bounced off and nearly toppled over when a strong arm blocked my fall. Opening my eyes, I saw two green orbs. "What the _Hades_! Gods!" I instinctively pushed the god away and leapt at least three meters away from him.

"How do you know you won't fall for me?" Oh, of course. Of_ course_. I officially hated the sun god. More than I already did, obviously.

I glared at him, fists clenched. "Just... just stay away, okay? I don't _care _if I have to share a _room _with you, just... don't do anything, okay?" I turned and stomped away, my face red with anger. And embarrassment. At my, Lily's, and Erin's tent, I still felt his eyes on me. My jaw tightened. I bit back a "Stop staring, rapist" but instead turned and gave him a nonchalant stare, saying coldly, "And you owe me."

"For what?" Oh, stop acting innocent, are you even an Olympian?

"You know what, you're a god," I returned, my voice chilly, and then disappeared into my tent.

**Hi. This is me. Obviously. Again. Today I felt like shit with glasses. I'm not kidding. I think I just woke up messed up today. But I felt better after reading some good stories at . I just read Ten Days by Akatsuki Child, and it was awesome. I felt small afterwards. Read it, it's good. Another ApolloxThalia thing. I've always liked the couple, actually.**

**So, review! I'll update soon, okay? Bye!**

**~fflight**


	5. Aphrodite

**SORRYYYYYY! I haven't uploaded in like ages so sorry sorry sorry...**

**And I've had a couple shitty comments so yeah... I have something to say...**

**To Emily() - I'm glad I (almost) made you laugh. Next time, try not insulting my writing. Because you seem to be the only person who does't like it. Then maybe you won't get your comment deleted.**

**ANYWAY! I don't own PJO. Enjoy!**

An hour later, I found myself just outside a ski lodge, with my bag slung over my shoulder, my locket that turned into my dagger, and a bag of ski clothing in my free hand. "What is this? What IS this?" I held the heavy bag of ski gear in Apollo's face. "That," he replied casually, pushing it away from his face with two fingers, "Is a bag of ski clothing and gear."  
"No duh," I snapped, and snatched the bag back.  
"If you already knew, why'd you ask?" He looked genuinely curious. I just glared.  
There was a minute of silence before I admitted, the tendons in my jaw twitching, "I snowboard."  
Apollo stared. Then he grinned. Then he laughed. Like, really loud. So that everyone outside and_ inside_ the ski lodge turned and gave us a weird look. I sighed, glared at him once more, then stalked away to look for a snowboard gear rental place.  
"Where you going?" He called after me. When I ignored him, he asked, "Getting snowboard gear? No need." Quick as a flash, he was next to me, is hand on the bag. There was a golden light emanating from it, then it was gone, and suddenly the bag had snowboard boots and there was a snowboard in my arms. "Oomph!" I nearly dropped the bag from the sudden change in weight. Apollo caught it, and handed it to me with a dazzling smile. Behind him, a pretty- no, stunningly beautiful blonde with baby blue eyes glared at me. Ah, jealousy. "Hey, looks like I have some competition," I smirked, joking. Wait- oh, shit, where did that come from? Apollo looked at me with wide eyes. "Really?" He smirked, but it was way, WAY dirtier. "No! No! Where the ff- I mean- Where did you get that from? I was joking, okay? What the hell- I mean Hades! Gods! You- ARGH!" I screamed, the memory of my promise to Artemis flashing through my mind. "I didn't mean it like that! Shit!" I was in a frenzy, and that stupid blond girl smirked winningly. She shimmered for a second, then suddenly, she wasn't there. I stared, my jaw, literally, gaping wide. I had been swinging my bags around crazily, but now they hung limply at my side. "Aphrodite?" It was a whisper, but as soon as I said it, I knew I was right. "Oh, hell!" I seemed to be swearing a lot lately. Oh come on, sweetie, don't be like that. The musical voice drifted past my ears, and I gritted my teeth. "Hell!" I screamed again, then stormed my way back to the ski lodge.

We were sitting at a window seat in the ski lodge, staring outside. Eating or drinking nothing. After finding out where we were (Vernon Valley, New Jersey. I asked him why, because it was tiny and was made of man-made snow, and he told me that man-made snow was a little more tolerable than real natural snow) and had sat down for a while, I had calmed down a bit, and even Apollo stopped his teasing for a bit... For a bit. I waited until he finally couldn't hold it in anymore. "You know, that lady in the hot pink ski jacket getting on the chairlift's kinda hot. She'd be nice to-"  
I cut him off with my famous death glare. Usually, he wouldn't be affected, but somehow, he shut up. There was another silence.  
"Hey, can we get some hot chocolate?" Apollo looked at me with wide eyes. "Please?"  
I stared, and held back a laugh. He looked like a little kid begging his mother for money to buy hot chocolate. "You can have it. I don't want anything."  
"But you have to have something!"  
I rolled my eyes, but nodded. "I'll have a latte. Whatever."  
Apollo looked at me curiously. "But why not hot chocolate? Don't you like it?"  
Shrugging, I told him, "Too sweet. Don't like too much unnatural sugar." Then, to avoid any more probing (and perverted) questions and comments, I walked to the counter to get the chocolate and coffee.

We sat, sipping and watching people ski or snowboard down the slope, Apollo sniggering every time someone wiped out. A sudden question came to my mind. "Hey, Apollo?"  
"Mmm?"  
"I have a question."  
"Does it have anything to do with sex?" Oh, how blunt.  
"Gross, no."  
"Oh. Go on anyway."  
"Do you actually like skiing or snowboarding?" He looked up. "Not that much, actually. I'm more of a sunny guy, you know."  
"Then why are we even here?" I gave him my best this-is-boring and that-is-so-retarded look.  
"Well, one: I like watching people wipe out, two: I love the way the sun reflects off the snow, and three: I thought you might like it." That caught my attention. Apollo actually thought about me when he brought me here? That is so not the childish, flirtatious Apollo I knew. But now that I thought about it, Apollo wasn't... that bad. Not like the Hunters made him out to be.  
"Do you?" Apollo was gazing intently at me.  
"What? Do I what?" I was momentarily disoriented. "Do you like snowboarding?"  
We stared at each other for a second, his striking green eyes boring into mine, before I finally spoke. "Yeah. Actually, I love snowboarding."

Just then, Apollo pointed at the stereo speakers. Suddenly, a Katy Perry song started blasting out of it, and the other skiers or snowboarders looked extremely confused and amused. I stared. "'California Gurls featuring Snoop Dogg'? Seriously?"  
"One of my favorites," he shrugged. "Oh, wait! Listen! My favorite verse!"  
I listened:

_Sex on the beach,_

_We don't mind sand in our stilettos!_

_We freak in my jeep-_

"Oh! Oh! And this one too! 'Hummingbird Heartbeat!'"

_You make me feel _

_Like I'm losing my virginity -_

"Okay, that's it. I'm going snowboarding." I stood up, completely disgusted. Let's just say I lost all respect for Apollo right then. Okay, forget what I just thought before. He was EXACTLY like what I thought. Childish, perverted, and immature. I grabbed my snowboard and marched towards the chairlifts, leaving my coffee half finished. "Wait for me! Wait!" Apollo ran behind me, his skis dragging behind me, leaving lines in the snow.  
"Whatever," I muttered under my breath as I started my way up on the chairlift. I couldn't believe I let myself think that Apollo was at least a little bit decent.

**Yes, I know. The beginning sucks balls. I'm not going to argue with those who think so. Because it does. But the end is 'at least a little bit decent'. Unlike Apollo. :D**


	6. Roar!

**Here's the fifth chapter. The (most of) review put me in a writing mood... so here it is! I don't own PJO, and enjoy!**

**APOV (This is new!)**

I don't know why I said that, in the ski lodge, while we were drinking our steaming cups of chocolate and coffee. I told her that one of the reasons why we came here was that I thought that she would like it... I hoped I hadn't given too much away. That I loved her. That I knew she probably wouldn't love me back, because she loved her life as a Hunter too much and me too little. That hurt me the most, knowing that what I had wanted most in the world for long, long time... Couldn't be mine. Selfish, I know.

I think she noticed my slip, because she looked at me with those beautiful green eyes with a weird expression, so that's why I did the Katy Perry thing. To hide what I really felt like doing- taking away her oath from men away and whisking her away with me where we could spend eternity together. But that wasn't going to happen, because she's never going to feel the same way as I do...

**BPOV**

"So where am I actually staying tonight?" I asked Apollo when he finally got off the chairlift to join me on the top of the mountain. Oh please, please, PLEASE Gods don't let me be staying in the same room as him.  
"Ski cabin," he answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
I narrowed my eyes at his tone, but didn't say anything. Without another word, I jumped around to shift my position so my right side was facing downhill, and shot down the mountain as fast as I could, leaving a surprised Apollo in my wake.

Halfway down, my goggles loosened, and I skidded to a stop on my heel edge. I balanced on the edge for a brief moment before sitting down into the fluffy man-made snow. I took off my goggles and looked up at the starry sky. With a pang, I suddenly realized that tonight was New Year's Eve- the day before 2012. Childishly, I wondered if the world was soon about to end like the Mayans had predicted.

Suddenly, there was a _swish_, and I found myself being covered in snow. Spitting the white particles out of my mouth, I growled angrily and stood on the edge once more, turning and glaring at the culprit. "What do you think you're doing?" I snapped, before realizing it was none other than the sun god. "Oh, it's you. Should've known." I muttered, then sat down on the snow again. Apollo wobbled precariously on one edge of his skis before sliding sideways to sit awkwardly beside me on the mountain. "What're you thinking about?" He asked, green eyes curious. "Nothing." I growled, digging out snow from inside my ski jacket and sweater. Looking up, I saw him staring at me. "What?" I snapped, annoyed, and he quickly glanced up, startled, looking a little... embarrassed? I'd never seen the god be embarrassed before. Sheepishly, Apollo looked away, and up at the night sky. I suddenly noticed we were the only ones on the slope.  
"Kind of depressing, isn't it?" He commented, unusually sober.  
"What is?" I stole a glance at his face, perfectly structured, beautiful, stunning eyes reflecting the moonlight. What? Where did I get that from? I never thought he was beautiful!  
"The night. The snow. The winter. My opposites. And yet, here I am, trapped in the middle of all of them."  
"I guess." I wondered if I should apologize. After all, it was because of me that we were here. Apollo opened his mouth to say something, but I never got to know what it was.

Because at that moment a huge roar disrupted the peaceful night. We both jumped up at the same time, and found ourselves sliding downwards. "Oh, crap!" We exclaimed simultaneously, then sat back down. I would have laughed if the situation wasn't so dire. Unstrapping my snowboard as fast as I could, I looked up to see that Apollo already had his golden bow and arrows, narrowing his eyes at the direction of the roar. When I had gotten out of my snowboard I commanded my Stygian iron katana to appear at my side, transforming from a simple black belt to a huge Japanese ninja sword, my choice of weaponry though I was a Hunter of Artemis.

I raced forward to stand next to Apollo in a fighting stance. "What is it?"

"Chimera," he replied gruffly, his voice low and dangerous. I looked up at him, and barely recognized his face. His green eyes were narrowed, his mouth set in a tight line, and his jaw was strong and clenched. All of a sudden, I remembered that he was an Olympian- a son of Zeus, and one of the twelve most powerful gods. Not someone to be reckoned with. I realized that ever since I first saw him, I had been "reckoning" with him. Why wasn't I dead yet?

The monster was still not to be seen, but we could still tell it's position- the trees around it were aflame with bright orange and yellow fire. "Wow, I'm glad nobody else's here," I muttered under my breath before sprinting forward to find it, ignoring the "Bryn!" from behind me. For a split second, I thanked the gods that I had gone snowboarding today- the shoes were ten times more flexible than ski boots.

I arrived in a burnt clearing, empty of live foliage. The Chimera swiveled around and faced me with a burning (almost literally) stare. It roared, and flames billowed from its jaws. I suddenly realized that I had not a shield- I wouldn't be able to protect myself from it's fiery mouth. My heart pounded as I just barely missed a jet of fire. I ran towards it again, slashing with my katana, trying to get close enough without becoming a pile of ashes.

I was slashing at it, when the Chimera did a weird jump-and-turn kind of thing and faced me. It opened its jaws, and once again fire erupted from it's mouth. I did the sensible thing- I jumped out of the way. Too bad I didn't do that in time, because right then I felt a burst of flaming agony sear through me, and I literally saw my entire left side of my body aflame with bright orange fire. I screamed. How embarrassing. If this was any other time, I would have mentally slapped myself for showing weakness like that.

I rolled to the side to avoid the next jet of blue and yellow flame, at the same time effectively putting out the fire on my body. The chimera faced me once more, its amber yellow eyes promising a fiery death. I tried to evade the next stream of fire as well, but my left leg hurt too much to support me. I turned away and clenched my fists, screwing my eyes shut, preparing myself for the end- I was going to be incinerated into a pile of smoking ashes, like I had thought impossible just a while ago. So I was going to die after all, after five years of immortality. I suppose my father Hades would feel too upset if I joined him in the Underworld as a little floating soul.

But I didn't see my father anytime soon, because the chimera stopped roaring and I didn't feel heat on my back anymore. I turned around, opening my eyes, and saw a glowing golden arrow embedded in the chimera's neck. Apollo was standing about five meters away, green eyes dark with fury. I was almost afraid for a second. The chimera was twitching and rolling around on the ground like a huge, fiery dying ant. To speed up the process, I crawled forward, desperately trying to ignore the burning agony in my flesh, and raised my katana, then brought it downwards on the chimera's neck, tiredly but nevertheless usefully slicing off its head. It rolled towards my painful and weary limbs, but just before it could touch me it, with the rest of the chimera, dissolved into a shower of golden dust, which evaporated into thin air and disappeared.

The pain of my burns came anew, and I fell backwards, the agony suddenly unbearable. Apollo was, all of a sudden, at my side, bending over me with an expression on his face that was a mixture between fear, worry, and rage. But fear dominated it. I wasn't sure, because my eyelids were closing no matter how hard I tried to will then to stay open so I could glare at Apollo, my body subconsciously shutting down. I fell limp, and a obsidian colored wave, so like my Stygian iron katana, washed over me, and then I couldn't remember anything else.

**Okay. How was it? Love it? Hate it? Either way, review, and don't insult it. Give it USEFUL FEEDBACK. Anyway, see ya in the next chapter!**


	7. Awakening

_Disclaimer: I do not own PJO, Rick Riordan does._

**Before beginning this chapter (which I wrote on the way to India on the plane), I would like to thank ALL the reviewers for truly making me feel warm and fuzzy inside. You know who you are. :) There's a little bit more fluff in this chapter, as requested by the general audience. But, however, I apologize in advance for the fact that this "fluff" may not be the fluff you wanted, because I'm not that good at fluff. It makes me want to throw myself off the Empire State Building if I have an overdose. But I tried. Either way, tell me how it was. Enjoy!**

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**BPOV**

The first thing that I noticed when I woke up was that I was lying on something soft, like a bed, with something covering me. The second thing I noticed was that my arms, feet, and hands had a cold breeze brushing under my covers to cool my skin. My eyes were still closed, but I could tell there was some kind of fire near me because one side of my face was hot and sweating, while the other side was comfortable and cool. My head was still muddled and woozy from sleep. I didn't feel like getting up anytime soon... Until I remembered. That I was not in my comfy tent or my silver and black sleeping bag, that I was in a ski resort, in Vernon, New Jersey. And I had just nearly been incinerated by a friggin' chimera. I thought I'd killed it three years ago, with Lily! But my body didn't hurt anymore. Probably healed by Apollo. My eyes shot open. Apollo!

I threw my covers off myself, leaping off the bed, hoping he wasn't doing anything bad again... I had only ran a few steps before I ran into none other than the sun god himself. Really. Did I damage my brain, too, to literally _run_ into someone? Apollo looked a little surprised and stepped back. We looked at each other for a second.  
"You're up." He broke the silence.  
"Yeah," I said lamely. There was another silence, then Apollo exploded.  
"YOU IDIOT!" He yelled into my face, green eyes flaming. Taken aback, I moved a couple steps back. "Um..." A surprised stutter.  
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FELT!"  
"I... Uh..." What else could I say?  
"JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T LO-" Apollo suddenly shut up. His eyes widened for a minute, as if he had caught himself saying something he wasn't supposed to. What was he going to say? What began with 'L-O'?  
I had resumed to my normal state and arranged my taken-by-surprise bits of thought into a more orderly fixation. I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to look bored and mocking at the same time. "Do continue."  
Apollo stared at me for a minute. I think he flushed scarlet for a split second before it disappeared. My eyes narrowed slightly, wondering what it meant, then felt stupid. He giving away this much, and I couldn't figure it out?  
"And did you _change my clothes?_" I snapped as scathingly as I could, suddenly remembering that I had a tank top and sweatpants on instead of my snowboarding gear.  
"Uh..." He pretty much repeated my previous stammer.

**APOV**

Shit. I have no idea why I did that. Literally almost said the 'L-word' in front of her, I mean. I just lost control. Artemis was right, I really do need to learn how to control my impulses. But it was okay to let her know I was worried about her, right? If we couldn't... be together we could at least be friends and friends care about each other, right? Friends kinda love each other too, right? I mentally put my face in my palms. Oh, who was I kidding?

But she really did have no idea how I felt. The sight of her, being burned with fire, the sound of her agonized scream, and the way they slashed through my heart would have killed me if I wasn't an immortal god. Something red, like bloody mist, had covered my eyes, and I just took out a poisoned, golden arrow from my quiver notched it on my bow, and shot. The arrow hit the chimera that had hurt Bryn, _my_ Bryn, and the poison began to run through it's system faster than Zeus would have turned you into a bit of charred flesh if you called his beard "a bird nest of eagle crap". Bryn dragged herself forward and raised her stupid katana to cut off its head and I died a little inside. She was probably suffering like Hades, but she was still fighting. My feet were frozen to the ground and I couldn't help her. I think that was what killed me most, that I could have saved her from pain and I didn't. And even if it was partially her fault, running forward like that, I shouldn't have shouted at her like that. But still, foolish bravery was going to be the end of her.

When my muscles and brain could function again, I appeared at her side, and caught her in my arms around her just as she fell into unconsciousness. Her blood stained my ski jacket, but I didn't care. I transported us back to the ski cabin I had gotten the day before. After healing the majority of her wound then changing her bloody, burnt, snowboarding clothing and boots into a tank top and sweatpants, I think I just sat there on a stool, watching her sleep off the injury until she awakened.

Now she stared at me, eyes narrowed, fists clenched, Stygian iron chain that trapped anything she threw it at around her neck. My breath caught in my throat. My mouth opened, but only a weird breathy sound escaped from it. Then- I don't know what got to me. It was like an invisible force on my brain, forcing me to do it. I leaned forward, held her shoulders, and kissed her softly on the mouth. The feel of her in my arms, the smell of her, like fresh, moist air in the early morning forest... It was what I had always wanted.

**BPOV**

I froze when he rested his lips on mine. Automatically I relaxed, my body pressing back onto his. I leaned onto him, and put my arms around his neck. The tenderness of his lips, softer than anything I've known... He smelled like a warm breeze, the smell of flowers in the summer, and the smell of cinnamon, vanilla, and strawberries. And I loved it. Until I realized I was kissing Apollo, and he was wrapping his arms around me. In other words, I was _kissing_ a boy. A god, actually.

With a little hesitation, I forced myself out of his arms, and kneed his chest, jumping a couple meters away from him. He fell backwards in surprise, and stared at me as if he didn't expect me to do that. Stupid. "What the Hades!" I shrieked, my eyes, I was sure, wide, frantic, and, I hated to admit, fearful.  
He stared at me, expression a little panicked. The early morning light shone onto his face, and something strange stabbed at my heart, a sear of something stronger than any chimera or monster in the world, but I ignored it. But, nevertheless, it's aim was true and it pierced through my entire being. Apollo opened his mouth, then closed it. He stepped forward, then stopped. I just glared at him, fists clenched, jaw tight. Forcing my mind into cold nothingness. I chanted a mantra in my head: _I'm a Hunter. I'm strong and unbreakable. I'm a Hunter. I'm strong and unbreakable..._  
"I..." He stammered.  
"You what?" I hissed.  
"I... have... to go," Apollo's eyes shone with transparent liquid, but before I could wonder what it was he started to glow a blinding light, and I had to turn away before I really was fried into a Bryn Drumstick. When I looked back, he was gone. And I stood there, my mouth hanging slightly open, hands limp, my mind blank with shock. Because I had, somehow, hoped that he was going to say something else.

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**Sorry. I know I could do better. But I guess the flight to New Delhi with revolting airplane food put me into a writing mood. I have no idea why. Either way, review and tell me what you think, just keep in mind that insulting my writing without telling me how to make it better does not help. Thanks!  
**

**~fflight **


	8. Idiot

**Hi. So this chappie's going to all be in Apollo's POV… exciting! For me, anyway. :D So… enjoy!**

**BTW, I had to rewrite all of this TWICE, due to an extremely retarded and mental laptop.**

**

* * *

APOV**

I was an idiot. An absolute, complete, retarded, irrevocable idiot. Why? Because I had kissed a fierce, temperamental, but nevertheless sexy Hunter of Artemis. Now my sister and Bryn were going to murder me in my sleep, chop me up into bite-sized pieces, and then serve me as barbecue for dinner. And I didn't even care that much about it. The killing and eating me part, anyway. It was the fact that because of my stupid actions, there was absolutely no chance whatsoever that one particular Bryn Reedwing would ever care for me, even as a mere friend that really, truly killed me. Seriously, why do I have an immortal life if I have to live through the pain of knowing that?

After she literally threw me off herself, the look on her face – the shocked, angry, pained, guilty, and slightly frightened expression that ripped me through every time I remembered it – made me transport myself back to my room in Olympus. I stared blankly at the king-sized four-poster bed with the colors of gold, red, and silver. I took a tiny, undecided step towards it, and felt another jolt of agony ripple through my body, and I forced my thoughts of Bryn out of my head. I reflected on the irony of the situation: the _sun god_was almost weeping out his heart while the daughter of Hades was probably off traipsing somewhere, blissfully happy to be rid of me. How messed up was that? Not to be stereotypical or anything.

I sat on my bed, every thump of my heart in my chest sending streaks of pain through my entire being. Before this, I didn't even think the 'pain in my heart" thing was even possible, you know, it being so cliché and all. Tears threatened to spill out of my eyes, but I forced them away. _I'm a manly guy. Manly guys don't cry,_ I thought to myself before I realized just how stupid it sounded, and lost all hope. I was about to fall face first into the soft covers, bawling my eyes out, when I heard a knock on my door. Instantly clearing the liquid out of my eyes with a single thought, I used my godly powers to look beyond the door. There was my sister Artemis, narrowing her eyes at my door. "I know you're watching, brother! Open up!" She demanded, teeth gritted. I looked away from the door, not even caring to bother about it, having lost the heart (oh, irony, again) to do anything. When I didn't answer, there was a growl, then a loud _crash_. I looked up, a little surprised, to see a murderous-looking Artemis standing over the door that she had kicked open. Of freakin' _celestial bronze._

She strode over to me, a dangerous glint in her eyes. We stared at each other in the eyes, a miserable bright green meeting a furious pale yellowish silver. Suddenly, she swung her arm back and her fist connected with my face, accompanied by a sickening _crack!_ My head snapped back with the impact. When I looked back at her, golden ichor was pouring out of my broken nose, with me feeling it in shock. Sure, Artemis would get pissed at me then yell and me and slap me lightly on the shoulder, but she never really, honestly hurt me. I opened my mouth to say something, but she beat me to it. "You kissed her, you fucking bastard, Phoebus Apollo!" She screamed in my face. "You fucking man-slut!"  
Again, I stared at her in shock. The good Daddy's girl didn't use profanity. Like, ever. She hasn't done it in ten thousand years. After the shock faded away, a weight heavier than any other weight in the world fell on me. Because she was _right_. I _was_ a man-slut. And a whore. And everything else she called me. Bryn was my… what, ten thousandth kiss? Besides that, I've had sex with at least a hundred others before her. Suddenly, Artemis' shrieking and cussing was unheard by my deaf ears. I turned away from my sister before she could see the glistening tears in my eyes. "I…" was all I could make out before I fled the room, transporting myself to the first place I thought of.

* * *

I appeared on the top of Mount Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in the Andes. Staring out blankly at the foggy but breathtakingly stunning mountains, I didn't try to keep out the memories of _her_ rushing through my mind. Suddenly, everything about her was filling my every thought. The way she smiled her small smile, the corners of her lips turning upwards lightly, almost teasingly. The way her dark hair flowed down her shoulders, her sexy curves, her full lips, the soft silver glow surrounding her that was evidence of her immortality. The way she radiated courage and determination when she fought, her death glare that could chill her father himself, Lord of the Dead. The way she gave me that mocking look with one perfect raised eyebrow, and lastly, the beautiful, sparkling green eyes that reflected her beauty in every way possible.

The memories of our short time together flooded through my mind, and a tear rolled down my cheek. All of a sudden, a pale, perfectly manicured hand rested on my shoulder. I tensed and looked up, expecting my sister, only to see none other than the one and only Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love. "Hello, Aphrodite." I groaned inwardly. I didn't want some lecture on how "love always prevails." Because frankly, love hasn't. It just made me feel like the grass after it's been shredded by a lawnmower.  
"Nephew," she greeted me, smiling.

I looked back to the misty Andes while making my tear disappear. There was a pause, then:  
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?" The love goddess beamed.

I gave her a noncommittal shrug.

"You're in love, Apollo. After all these years of… going through the other woman, you've finally found the one woman that counts."  
I looked up at her, my eyes green pools of misery. "And I've ruined all of it," I whispered in a cracked voice. Okay, I was ashamed. Sure, I could feel sad and all, but I shouldn't talk like I haven't drank water for seven months. "Your fault," I added, muttering under my breath.

But Aphrodite must have had better hearing than I credited her for, because she replied sharply, "It's not my fault. It's your problem if you can't get over your moping and go after the girl."

There was a pause as that sunk into my brain, a lot more slowly than usual. "I can't go after her, I—"

"Look, you can't just sit there. Get your lazy sun-god ass off Mount. Aconcagua and find Bryn and tell her you're sorry!" She snapped.

I didn't bother to say anything.

"Are you going to wallow in self-misery for the rest of eternity?" She demanded.

"You… you don't understand," I managed.

"Oh, really? Then I suppose _you_ do? Hmm, let's see, who would understand _love_ better? Perhaps the _love _goddess could have a little advantage at that than the _sun _god?" Aphrodite said sardonically and scathingly. Then she sighed. "Apollo, believe me when I say I know how you feel. Trust me, I've seen it in millions of others." She stopped, looking at me.

When I didn't reply, she continued. "You have to go after her and tell her how you feel. She's really confused, and the only person who can tell her what's going on is you. Well, actually, I can, too, but it's your responsibility."  
I shook my head. "She won't accept me."  
"Well, you won't know until you find out, will you?" She shot back. I just sat there shaking my head, and after a while Aphrodite sighed in resignation. "It's your choice, nephew, but please consider it. It'll be better for both of you." She glanced up at the dark, cloudy sky, and thunder seemed to rattle the world. "Lord Zeus requires our attendance," she said calmly. "I suppose we'd better go." There was a flash, and then all that was left of the love goddess was a bit of pink, sweet-smelling mist. I watched it blend into the haze of the Andes and drift away. I sighed, and then transported myself to the throne room in a burst of sunshine. The mere concept of that was stupid. _That_ was how much of a failure I was.

**RIGHT! How was it? It's a little exaggerated, I admit, but it was better than I thought it would be. I've never written **_**that**_** but in APOV much, and I expected it to be a super short chapter, but I guess it wasn't…. Well, actually, it wasn't **_**that**_** long. But kinda. XD**

**~fflight**


	9. Return As a Failure

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO. I only own Bryn, Lily, and some of the minor characters, like Erin (another Hunter).**

**I am so, so sorry. I really am. I didn't post for ages, and I didn't even look at the reviews for three weeks. But those who are saying that Aphrodite **_**isn't **_**actually Apollo's nephew: There are many myths where Aphrodite was born from Kronos' testicles when he died, making her his daughter, and therefore Zeus' half-sister. Which makes her Apollo's half-aunt. Okay? Whether I'm right or not, it really doesn't affect the story, so whatever. Don't think about that.**

**BPOV**

He left. He just… disappeared. I suppose that's supposed to be a good thing, but then why do I feel this horrible sinking feeling? Actually, it's an empty feeling. Which is worse than the sinking feeling. Because at least you have something in you when you have a sinking feeling. When you have an empty feeling, it's like there's this huge, important, vital part of you that's abandoned you.

But I deserve it. You know why? Because I had kissed a sunny (literally), overly happy, perverted, but nevertheless sexy god. Emphasis on the GOD. A man. Now memories of my promise to Lady Artemis flashed through my mind, and all I could feel now was guilt and confusion. Guilt because I had lied and gone against my oath. Confusion because… I shouldn't have liked it. But I did. In fact, it was like my head was exploding, in a good way of course. I shook my head helplessly, slumping against wall in defeat. Because in the end, I had come to the conclusion that I was a failure. After all, I had: betrayed the Hunters of Artemis, almost gotten killed by a chimera which I had killed a couple years back, not been able to spend 24 hours with the sun god not because I ditched him but because he ditched me, and I, however much I hated to admit it, actually _like _Apollo. Maybe even more than a friend. No, no, don't think that. But really.

Personally, I hate love. Love makes you weak, stupid, impulsive, and confused. There's nothing good about it. Well, I guess part of my opinion must have something to do with my father, because he's never really supported love or had much luck in it either. I mean, come on. Kidnapping your own wife mustn't be very healthy for the relationship.

I sat there, leaning against the wall for ten minutes before I decided I might as well go to sleep. I dragged myself to the bed I woke up in, still in the tank top and sweatpants, and lay my still-sore body on it, crawling underneath the covers. Almost instantly, I had a dream.

_I woke up in a place I had never seen before, in a dry, dusty place where it there was so little moisture that the ground beneath me was cracked. I picked myself up from the ground and dusted off the soil in my hair and clothes. I realized that I was still wearing my tank top and sweatpants. Looking around, I noted the bits of information from the setting I was in, in case I ever was attacked. The sky was black, a pure, obsidian black like my stygian iron katana. There were no more than two trees in the area, and they were all leafless, dead. The space stretched on forever, as if it would go on for eternity. I swiveled slowly in my place, taking in the landscape. Suddenly, a voice from behind me spoke. "Little daughter of Hades," it almost purred, an elegant, beautiful but fierce voice, reminding one of a tigress ready to strike. I whipped around, trying to grab my dagger before realizing that I didn't have it. "Damn it," I hissed under my breath. More loudly, I called out, "Who are you? What do you want?"  
The woman had long, silky black hair that reached her stomach. She was tall, breathtakingly beautiful, with even, fair skin, slightly tanned, with bright blue sparkling eyes. She smiled at me, and it made the air on the back of my neck rise. There was something… wrong about her.  
"What do I want? Do you mean why I am here?" She walked towards me, as graceful as a cat. "I came here to warn you," she hissed, her voice becoming dangerous. "You made a bad choice in meeting Phoebus Apollo. His choice, and your choice, will be the end of you both, weakling. Just like your father," she added. "You act so… what do you say? Cool. You act so cool, so confident, but inside, you have no idea what idea what you're doing, do you?"  
I glared at her. "I'm not afraid of you, bitch. You don't diss my dad. Or me, for that matter."  
The woman stared at me for a second, then laughed, a flowing, tinkling sound that gave me goosebumps. "I can see why he likes you," she laughed, her blue eyes twinkling. _

"_Shut… up!" I snapped, eyes flaring._

_She turned serious again, her eyes like freezing cold glaciers. "You're right, Reedwing. Love is stupid. That's why…" as she spoke, her body began fading away along with her voice. After "why", she completely disappeared, along with her voice. Suddenly there was a great roaring sound, and the cracked ground began to shake, really cracking open to reveal nothing but black underneath me. My eyes widened then screwed shut as I plummeted downwards towards Gods-knows-what. I waited for the impact, my head towards the ground, my sub-consciousness telling me that my head would implode as long as I hit the ground. Suddenly, I heard an ear-splitting crack, agony exploded throughout my head, more pain than I had ever felt before. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't. Just as the torture and agony reached its climax... I jolted awake._

I sat up straight in the bed in a cold sweat, screaming my head off. Almost literally. After I had realized that it was only a nightmare, I calmed down considerably, feeling ashamed and relieved that I was the only one here. I glanced at my watch. Exactly six thirty in the morning, January 2nd. I pondered the fact for a second, not sure why I seemed like I should worry about it, my mind still slightly drowsy despite my disturbing dream. My eyes widened and my jaws hung on its hinges as it suddenly hit me. I was supposed to spend 24 hours with Apollo, and 24 hours only. I was, what, 12 hours late? And I was currently on a _mountain_, in _New Jersey._

I propelled myself off the bed and flew through the cabin, looking for my belongings. I collected them and piled them in a heap on the coffee table, then rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and brush my teeth. Ten minutes later, I came out wearing a fitting gray shirt under a thick black sweater and black and white sweatpants - the most normal clothing I could find that was easy to fight in and was still my taste. I tied my hair in a ponytail with a black hair band that blended into my dark hair, and then put my dagger, disguised as a silver scrunchie over it. My stygian iron chain was still around my neck as a choker, but I still checked that it was still there anyway. After wearing my watch, which was really the katana, I stuffed everything in my backpack and raced out the door, slamming it behind me.

I had decided not to shadow travel to Camp Half Blood, where the Hunters told me they'd be at when I left. Apparently Thalia wanted to see Percy and Annabeth, so Lady Artemis agreed to camp out in the Camp's forest for a couple days. They would be leaving for it when I left. Hopefully they would still be there when I got there. So instead of dropping down asleep after teleporting to a strawberry field in New York (aka Camp Half Blood), I would shadow travel to Princeton and hopefully catch the Amtrak to Penn Station, Manhattan. I opened my plastic bag of mortal cash, digging through it, looking to see how much money I had. Seventy dollars in cash. That should be enough for a one-way trip and then a cab to Camp. Not bothering to check out, I slung my bag over my shoulder and dashed behind the ski cabin and looked around for any watching people. No one. I concentrated, took a deep breath, and then stepped into the shadows.

After racing off the train and out of the Station as fast as I could, I looked around wildly for a cab to hail. A flash of dirty canary yellow caught my eye and I waved furiously for it to see me. I jumped in after flinging open the door right when the cabbie pulled up and shouted for him to go to the strawberry field's address. He gave me a weird look. "What's with you kids going to a strawberry farm?" I gave him my best glare and stuffed thirty dollars under his nose. "Just take me to it, asshole," I barked, and with another strange look directed at me, he drove off.

I jumped off the cab the minute we got there and began charging up the hill, leaving the thirty dollars on the passenger seat. Patting Peleus on the nose when I passed him, I suddenly found myself in the Camp that I had stayed in for four months before I was offered the opportunity to be a Hunter. Chiron came galloping up to me as I was looking around, marveling at the remodeled cabins and how many more children were here since I was here five years ago. "Bryn! What're you doing here?"

I glanced up. "Chiron," I greeted him. He continued giving me an expectant look. "Well. I'm looking for the Hunters. Lady Artemis and Thalia told me they'd be coming around here."  
Chiron nodded at me. "Yes, they came yesterday afternoon. They went out several hours ago, though, and I'm not sure whether they're back or not. However, you're welcome to—"

"It's quite all right, Chiron, we have returned." The flowing, silvery voice was instantly recognizable.

"Lady Artemis!" The centaur bowed, turning around on his hooves to face the goddess. My heart seemed to sink into my stomach as I saw that Artemis was here, probably to disband me from the Hunters, and I realized that I really didn't want to see the moon goddess. I tried not to look her in the eyes, for fear of her seeing my secret, if by some impossible chance she didn't know. "Lady Artemis," I echoed him, giving her another one of my awkward curtsies that with all my five years as a Hunter I still haven't managed to perfect. Artemis then proceeded to fall into a conversation with Chiron about Olympus, Zeus, and her Hunters. I sort of stood there awkwardly as the Hunters behind her gave each other secretive looks and whispered to each other. I tried looking for Thalia or Lily, but they must have been somewhere in the back, because they were nowhere to be seen.

I turned back around, and was mildly surprised at the group of demigods that had gathered around Chiron, Artemis, the Hunters, and me. Annabeth, who I didn't know very well but still was acquaintances with, was there, staring thoughtfully at me. I almost snorted. Typical daughter of Athena. Percy, surprisingly, was also there, whispering into his girlfriend's ear. I thought that he was in the city for the rest of the year – what was he doing here in the winter? And where was Nico? I scanned the crowd, but my half-brother was not in it. Perhaps he was sleeping; he did that a lot.

"Bryn." I was startled out of my thoughts by the familiar voice of the goddess I now dreaded talking to. I revolved slowly in my spot to face Artemis.

"Yes, Lady Artemis?" I asked, respectfully, like I always did.

Her silvery golden eyes finally caught my green ones, and they seemed to draw me in, like a fisherman reeling in his thrashing but nevertheless helpless catch. "I think perhaps we need to discuss something in private," she told me, and the sentence sent chills down my spine. She knew! She knew!

"I… yes, Lady Artemis. Of course." My voice was almost a whisper, barely audible, though I knew she would hear it with her godly hearing.

"Then shall we head back to camp, Bryn?"  
"Yes, my Lady," I curtsied once more.  
"Hunters, let us go." Artemis ordered. I fell into the middle of the group as the goddess lead us out of camp. I heard the whispers from the campers behind me but the loud, frantic beating of my own heart masked them. Because by the end of today, I would no longer be a Hunter of Artemis. I was sure of it.

**Woah. A longer one, finally. FINALLY. I thought I would never write a sort of proper chapter. Anyway, there goes the 8****th**** one. Did you like it? Hate it? Review and tell me what you think! Thanks for the previous reviews; they made me warm and fuzzy inside. Keep on doing what you do, people!**

**~fflight**


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